An entirely new level of safety and precision.
IntraLASIK is an advanced form of LASIK that uses the new INTRALASE femtosecond laser. While traditional LASIK is a very safe, effective and precise procedure, Intralase further reduces the risk of complications. As a result, patients gain a new level of confidence in laser vision correction. In addition, Intralase extends the benefits of the procedure to many patients who were poor candidates before.

How is IntraLASIK different from traditional LASIK?
Both LASIK and IntraLASIK sculpt the inner layers of the cornea (the front part of the eye) with an excimer laser. Before the excimer laser is applied, the surgeon creates a flap to reach the inner layers of the cornea, then re-positions it after the treatment. Many people do not realize that in traditional LASIK this first step, the flap creation, is accomplished using a blade.
Now, the blade is replaced by the Intralase laser, making IntraLASIK a truly all-laser procedure and eliminating all blade-related complications.

Is traditional LASIK unsafe?
No, traditional LASIK is a safe, effective and precise procedure with minimal risk. In more than two million procedures conducted worldwide, experienced surgeons have achieved extremely low flap complication rates (0.1-0.5%). Nevertheless, IntraLASIK reduces risks by as much as 95 percent because of fewer flap complications, especially for less experienced surgeons.

Essentially, IntraLASIK provides the safety and effectiveness, while CustomVue improves the sharpness and decreases night time side effects. The combination of the two lasers VISX and Intralase results in a new procedure - CustomVue IntraLASIK, an unprecedented step forward in addressing precision, safety, side effects improving vision safely for both day and night time.

As good as the results of LASIK were, it can only be looked at as a procedure of the past Century that paved the way for a no blade customized IntraLASIK. CustomVue provides sharper vision with potentially better night vision compared to night vision before with glasses or contacts. And thanks to intralase, it does it at a never before imagined level of safety.

Diamond Vision was the first practice in the tri-state area to offer the precision of VISX CustomVue with the proven safety of IntraLASIK.

More than two million people have had LASIK, with the highest satisfaction rate of any elective procedure. Improved technology now means better results and fewer side-effects. Athletes such as Tiger Woods, Gregg Maddux and Tiki Barber have endorsed LASIK, and so did countless other celebrities such as Eric Clapton and Cindy Crawford.

Following the procedure, vision improves almost immediately. We recommend patients spend the rest of the day keeping their eyes closed as much as possible. The next day, most patients are amazed to be able to drive without glasses or contact lenses.

Waveprint Map

A six month evaluation of clinical study participants showedthat four times as many patients were very satisfied with their night vision after the VISX CustomVue procedure, compared to their night vision before with glasses or contacts.

Dave M. from Boston, MA, who had LASIK with Dr. Stetson, sent the following testimonial:

"Before my laser surgery, I would not think of spending a waking moment without glasses or contacts. Now, I have 20-20 vision and only need glasses for reading. I had Custom LASIK in one eye and standard LASIK in the other. There is a marked difference between the two. Recovery was faster with the custom and eyesight is slightly better in the custom eye."

More from the Manufacturer

PRK, or Photorefractive Keratectomy is part of a family of procedures called “surface ablations” because the laser is applied directly on the surface of the cornea rather than under a flap, as with LASIK. Another popular surface ablation procedure is LASEK.
The PRK procedure is done under local anesthesia and takes a maximum of 5 minutes per eye.
PRK has been used by surgeons all over the world for more than ten years, even longer than LASIK. However, the new PRK pioneered at Diamond Vision is a marked improvement over the PRK of the 1990’s, offering  better surgical instruments, better intra-operative medications, and better post-operative follow-up.
How does PRK compare to LASIK?
Advantages of PRK:

Disadvantages of PRK

• Recovery takes longer after PRK. Most people do not work for at least 2 days after surgery to allow their eyes to rest.  In a Diamond Vision survey of patients who have had surface ablations, seventy-five percent were back to work after 3 days.
• Compared to LASIK, PRK is not as comfortable for a few days afterwards. However, advances in follow-up care have considerably improved the comfort of PRK. When patients in our Diamond Vision study were asked to rate their discomfort from zero to four, the majority (56%) said their discomfort was zero or one.

What should I expect after PRK?
Once the eye is corrected, the surgeon will place a soft contact lens to protect your eye while the healing takes place. During the healing time – 5 to 7 days - it is normal to experience blurry or fluctuating vision, light sensitivity, dryness and/or a foreign body sensation. It is common for one eye to heal faster than the other, so do not be alarmed if your vision is better in one eye compared to the other. You will be given oral pain medication if necessary, along with topical eye drops. You may find that you do not feel confident driving while the protective lenses are in.
At your one-week visit the contact lenses are removed and your vision will slowly improve. Drops will be given to use for several weeks, which will aid in healing and prevent inflammation.
Although it can take a few weeks to a few months for patients to fully reach their optimal vision, your visual outcome will be the same as if you had LASIK. However, the long-term safety and stability of your eyes will be higher than if you had LASIK. A few days or weeks of patience will be rewarded by a lifetime of better vision.

What is better for me, LASIK or PRK?
In most cases, PRK is recommended for patients who have thinner corneas, slightly irregular corneas, or are at risk for dry eyes or other conditions. Your Diamond Vision doctor will be able to make a recommendation for you based on extensive testing.
In other cases, patients who are candidates for LASIK chose to have PRK instead, because they prefer a flapless or bladeless procedure.

Why is PRK more expensive than LASIK?
PRK is a specialty procedure, meant to address the needs of people with unusual eye measurements. Compared to LASIK or the old PRK, the new PRK offered at Diamond Vision uses more sophisticated and expensive intra-operative eye drops such as Mitomycin-C, and improved surgical instruments such as the Amoils rotary epithelium brush. The new, state of the art Lotemax eye drop is also used at Diamond Vision for post-operative care after PRK.

Why is PRK becoming more and more popular?
Many studies show that LASIK and PRK produce the same visual results after a few weeks or month. Now that the disadvantages of the “old PRK” have been conquered, doctors like the extra long-term safety afforded by PRK in many patients.

How do I learn more about PRK?
If you would like to discuss the procedure with patients who have had PRK (or a very similar procedure, LASEK), please ask our staff for a list of patient phone numbers. As always, we encourage you to speak to our knowledgeable doctors for any questions regarding this procedure.

Do you need reading glasses?

You are not alone. Ninety million people in the US have, or will soon develop presbyopia. At around age 40, even people who have never used glasses or contact lenses in their lives start needed glasses for up close. Others may need bifocals. Fortunately, the range of options has just increased with the recent FDA approval of Conductive Keratoplasty, or CK.

• If you have been wearing prescription eye glasses or contact lenses before the age of 40, then you may be a candidate for Monovision LASIK. Click here for a free consultation to be evaluated for Monovision LASIK.
  

• If you have had good eyesight all your life, and now, after 45, would like to be less dependent on reading glasses, then CK may be for you. CK (for Conductive Keratoplasty) is the only procedure approved by the FDA to treat presbyopia. CK uses radiofrequency energy to reshape the cornea and bring near vision back into focus. Minimally invasive and painless, CK is performed in less than three minutes in the doctor's office with only eye-drop anesthesia. The procedure is extremely safe, with no cutting or removal of tissue. As a matter of fact, CK is the safest vision correction procedure ever approved by the FDA. To maintain its full effects, CK needs to be repeated every 4-7 years. Click here for a free consultation to find out if you are a candidate for CK.